Weekend sports review

Afcon
The Super Eagles of Nigeria were crowned the Champions of Africa for the third time after beating minnows Burkina Faso 1-0 in the final at a packed Soccer City. Sunday Mba scored for the Nigerians, who last lifted the coveted title in 1994. Coach Stephen Keshi captained the Super Eagles when they last won the title and becomes only the second man to lift the trophy as a player and as a coach after Egyptian Mahmoud El-Gohary.

Goals from Samassa, Keita and Diarra handed Mali a well-deserved 3-1 win over the Black Stars of Ghana. The result sees the Eagles finish third overall at the Africa Cup of Nations. It's the second year in a row and for the fourth time in the last two tournaments that the teams have met. This time round it was the Eagles who walked away with the bragging rights.

Barclay’s Premier League
Manchester United moved 12 points clear of title rivals and reigning champions Manchester City with 12 league games to go in the Barclay’s Premier League after the Red Devils claimed a 2-0 win over Everton, thanks to goals from Ryan Giggs and Robin van Persie. Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho watched from the stands at Old Trafford as the 19-time champions put one hand on the trophy. Aston Villa beat West Ham 2-1 to move out of the relegation zone, while Newcastle United relegation fears were reignited after a 2-1 defeat to a Gareth Bale-inspired Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs remain fourth on the table after Chelsea hammered Wigan 4-1. Veteran Frank Lampard delivered an inspired performance for the Blues who occupy third spot on the standings, just four points adrift of City. Roberto Mancini’s men were their own worst enemy as the champions crashed to a shock 3-1 defeat away to Southampton, two defensive howlers handing the relegation strugglers a rare win. Santi Cazorla scored Arsenal's 50th league goal of the season as Arsene Wenger's 10 men beat Sunderland 1-0 at the Stadium of Light to move into fifth spot on the table.

La Liga
Barcelona took another massive step towards the La Liga title with a 6-1 demolition of Getafe, Lionel Messi scoring his 299th goal for the Catalan giants. The win sees Barcelona increase their lead over Athletico Madrid to 12 points and maintain their 16 point advantage over Real Madrid who romped to a 4-1 win over Sevilla, Cristiano Ronaldo scoring the 20th hat-trick of his Real Madrid career in the process. Coach Mourinho’s side lie in third place and will be brimming with confidence ahead of their Champions League date with Ronaldo’s former club, the Red Devils.

Serie A
Juventus moved five points clear at the top of the Serie A standings after a 2-0 win over Fiorentina. Juve’s title ambitions would have been further boosted by the one all draw between Napoli and Lazio in Rome. Mario Balotelli continued his impressive start at AC Milan as the former Manchester City striker scored with eight minutes remaining to salvage a point for the Rosoneri away to Cagliari. AC Milan are fourth overall, four adrift of Lazio in third.

Cricket
The Cape Cobras were crowned Sunfoil Series champions with a 10-wicket drubbing of the Knights inside three days in Bloemfontein. Hundreds from captain Justin Ontong, Stiaan van Zyl and Richard Levi combined with seven wickets from Beuran Hendriks and five wickets from Johan Louw propelled the visitors to a commanding victory and a well-deserved title.

The South African Women’s cricket team were beaten by England by seven wickets in their second Super Sixes match at the Women’s World Cup in India. The ladies in green and gold were skittled for 77 before England cruised to victory. South Africa’s next match is on Wednesday against Sri Lanka.

Rugby
The Springbok Sevens bounced back from a disappointing Wellington event with an emphatic 40-21 victory over the table, topping New Zealand in the Cup final of the Las Vegas leg of the HSBC Sevens World Series. Branco du Preez scored 18 points as Paul Treu’s men moved up to second on the standings, 23 points behind New Zealand.

The Lions held on to see off a spirited EP Kings outfit 41-31 in the grudge match at Ellis Park on Saturday. The Vodacom Bulls were in ominous form in Polokwane, thrashing the Cheetahs 32-10. The Stormers crushed Boland 57-0 in their warm-up match, but will be without Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth for six weeks with an ankle injury.

Six Nations
Owen Farrell kicked four penalties as England held on to see off Ireland 12-6 for the first time in 10 years in Dublin. The famous win sees England move to the top of the standings, while a rampant Scotland beat Italy 34-10, much to the delight of interim coach Scott Johnson. "We're back in this tournament. We're in it up to our eyeballs!" he said. Wales brought an eight-match winless streak to an end with a rare 16-6 win over France in Paris. Le Bleus are bottom of the table and yet to record a win this campaign.

Golf
Richard Sterne’s purple patch continued as the 31-year-old clinched the Joburg Open by a record-breaking seven strokes. Sterne’s sublime 8 under 64 saw him record a historic 27-under total for the tournament and his first win in four years. Sterne is also now in first place on the European Tour's order of merit – the Race to Dubai – with just over €450 000 from four tournaments.

PGA Tour

Brandt Snedeker carded a final round of 65 to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am by two strokes from Chris Kirk. The win sees Snedeker move up to fourth in the world in the latest rankings.